[EQUITABLE MOBILITYAND THE INDIAN SCENARIO] June 27, 2020

CITY IN MOTION:EQUITABLE MOBILITY AND THE INDIAN SCENARIO

Anooja S I B.arch ,Masters in Planning (Transport planning),SPA Delhi.

INTRODUCTION

The transport sector plays a vital function in achieving sustainable development goals
even though it is not mentioned as one goal. Many goals indirectly address the requirement to
develop quality, reliable, sustainable, and resilient infrastructure and focus on affordable and
equitable access for all1. The term "equitable mobility" is often used by planners and
policymakers all across the world in every document concerning to development of urban or
rural areas, master plans. As per the textual definition of mobility, It has four attributes including
equitable, efficient, safe and climate-responsive2. particularly equitable mobility ensures that no
one is left behind in terms of basic access to facilities.

In real instance, If we take the global scenario, what we can see is the Urban poor as a
'typical category' who agitatedly running behind the public transport for commuting from their
home to workplace. Their search radius for a job is decreasing considerably due to increasing
the transport expenditure. The comfort level that provided by the public transport systems often
lies in a very low margin which ultimately results in the privileged to use their own private
modes of vehicles. Past two centuries from the post-industrial revolution has shown a
skyrocketing increase in the number of automobile users. Meanwhile a scarce growth in bicycle
or use of public transport. Ride-hailing services and carpooling facilities are seen isolated in
some Urban areas and are excluded from rural communities who still are unaware of the digital
revolution!

In rural areas, where the huge chunk of marginalized live, we see limited connectivity as
a major problem they face. Based on the current rural accessibility index, about 450 million
people in Africa—or more than 70 percent of its total rural population—are estimated to have
been left unconnected due to missing transport infrastructure and systems. In urban areas, where
an additional two billion people are expected to be living in cities by 2045, the growth in
population is far outstripping the growth in public transport, thus limiting access to economic
and social opportunities3.While ensuring the universal accessibility for the provision of equitable
mobility we are trying to give more opportunities, more travellers and connected networks we
should also keep in mind that we must accomplish it through the implementation of public
transportation or greener modes like a bicycle. It should cater to all gender. Because women

1
SDG target 9.1
2
Global Mobility Report 2017
3
Global Mobility Report 2017

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make more trips comparing to men; but walking became the more predominant mode of travel
especially in developing countries, due to non-availability of services nearby home, high
expense and unsafe conditions and insecurities developed due to previous instances of crimes
prevailed while using in public transport.

OVERVIEW OF INDIAN SCENARIO

The figures based on a new methodology by the study by world bank using satellite
imagery, the Rural Accessibility shows that about 34 percent of the rural population in African
countries is connected and with roughly seven million people left disconnected . 4 In contrast, in
South Asia, more progress has been seen. Bangladesh tops in Rural Accessibility index with
87percent of total population have access to roads. When we approach into Indian context
,through the National Rural Roads Program (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or PMGSY)
started in 2000, all-weather road connectivity was provided to all habitations above a certain
population threshold5. India has one of the largest and densest road networks in the world.
However, a large part of the 2.7 million km rural road network was in poor condition—until the
year 2000, around 30 percent of the country‟s population (about 300 million people) lacked
access to all-season roads. This project had a huge impact in connecting the remote villages in
India.

Another pilot project was JnNURM that aims at creating „economically productive,
efficient, equitable and responsive Cities‟ by a strategy of upgrading the social and economic
infrastructure in cities, provision of Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) .But it restricted with
select cities/Urban Agglomerations (UAs) as per 2001 Census for the implementation of the
programme.It will be important to ensure that the Universal Access objective is informed by and
linked to large and influential rural road programs such as PMGSY or JnNURM.

When we come into the public transportation system and use in India, National
Commission of Urbanisation suggests for a city that is exceeding 5 million, the public transport
share should be 80 percent. But so far now We could it able to achieve this number. As transit is
fundamental to living privileged people have resorted to purchasing private vehicles for
commuting , adding to an already-severe congestion crisis in our cities. Majority of these
problems are solved by adding metro rail network which have had a mixed record across cities so
far. Currently, there are 630 kilometres of metro rail in 13 cities, with more than half of it in
Delhi (343 km) and several hundred kilometres being planned in the next few years. Every city is
now demanding for a metro. But no one is thinking about the affordability of the system. All
metro systems are subsidised by the Government .For their operations and maintenance the
government is spending a huge amount and for financial viability ,Government should keep a

4
World Bank 2016. “Measuring Rural Access: Using New Technologies”.
5
The threshold is defined as a population of 500 persons and above in the plains areas of India, and 250 persons and above in hill
states, the tribal areas, and the desert areas of India.

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high fare and this results in the ridership reduction. In another side we see constructions of huge
bridges and flyovers that catering to a very small group of community, took major funding from
the Government Budgets.

Recent policies that merely focussing on metros should give attention to other key
networks: suburban rail and buses. Suburban rails in Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad
take benefit of active railway infrastructure and offer peri-urban areas with low cost access to
urban city centre and their commercial areas . Investments in the suburban rail network has not
been a main concern for the reason that even the busiest of the networks, the Mumbai local
trains, does not make profits for the railways. One way to improve profits would be to raise rail
fares. This argument can be extended to public bus systems too. Across all these cities, bus
ridership numbers have either stagnated or decreased . Only KSRTC is getting profits in entire
country. Bus operators, across these cities have not been able to increase their fleet size in the
last few years.

Research says that equally buses and suburban rail have the prospective to bring high
quality frequent service similar to the metro at cheaper fare. It may be more sustainable to fund
these key public transport systems with simple credit norms, and by levying a combination of
fuel and congestion charges. In contradiction with this ,about ₹1,236 crores were allocated
under AMRUT scheme for procurement of buses for all states across the country in the years
2014-17, also in the same time period, the MoHUA allocated ₹26,377 crores for metro projects
nationwide6. Investments should be done in a wider range of public transport systems that make
certain last-mile connectivity could make our cities more equitable for all everyone including all
gender ,rich and poor.

CONCLUSION
According to Gustavo Petro — 'A developed country is not a place where the poor have
cars. It's where the rich use public transportation.': If I was would have been in his place I
must have said it's where the rich can also use suburban rail or buses with upmost level of
comfort and satisfaction. Because if we use the word public transit it will get centered around
metros.

Several policies including the free ride to women in DTC buses in Delhi, Employment
reservation to transgender in Kochi Metro rail are somewhat a progression achieved in ensuring
equitable mobility to gender. Even though the "free ride" does not ensure the safety or eradicate
the concerns about crimes in public transit ,It can create an impact in increasing their role in
Delhi Economy .Although the women of Delhi is getting the buses for free, some of them are
had yet to spend a more amount of money to use other intermediate public modes of transport(e-

6
India’s public transport challenge,16 Sep 2019
Sriharsha Devulapalli , How india lives

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rickshaws/auto rickshaw) to get from the stop to their destinations. It ultimately points us to the
need for an improvement of last-mile connectivity itself.

Several Urban planning solutions in the smart cities including use of space 24 X 7
concept by mixing of land use and infrastructure ,improvement of safe last mile connectivity in
cities, creation of safe urban communes are promising novel strategies that could make our cities
more equitable for all everyone including all gender ,rich and poor.

REFERENCES
1. Global Mobility Report 2017

2. Sriharsha Devulapalli , How india lives

3. World Bank 2016. “Measuring Rural Access: Using New Technologies”.